5 Things We Learned - London Irish

12 February 2018 10:36am

By Neil Leigh

In the wake of Sale's crucial 13-9 Premiership win away at London Irish, salesharks.com looks at the big talking points from the weekend's clash.

Plucky 13

Of the many positive numbers and facts to emerge from the trip to the Madejski Stadium, the figure 13 proudly stands out.
That was the impressive number of homegrown players director of rugby Steve Diamond selected in his matchday squad and every single one did Dimes proud.
Afterwards, Dimes took time to praise the impact of all of his homegrown heroes with 18-year-old Luke James producing a fine Premiership debut and the likes of Luke's brother Sam, Ross Harrison and Josh Beaumont to name just a few, all delivering for the cause once again.
On Saturday's encouraging evidence, the long-term future looks more than bright for the club.Road trip

Having initially struggled to replicate their fine form at the AJ Bell Stadium on the road, Sale are now developing a real taste for travel.
The victory at the Madejski was the Sharks' second win away from home on the bounce, following hard on the heels of last week's Anglo-Welsh Cup success at Scarlets.
And in the wake of of successive victories away at Worcester Warriors in both the Anglo-Welsh and Premiership just before Christmas, Saturday's success offered more concrete evidence that the Sharks are becoming an equally dangerous proposition on their travels.
Sale's fine form on the road couldn't be more timely too with testing trips to Bath and Northampton, looming large on the horizon over the next few weeks.Charn offensive

Having started the last four games, winger Josh Charnley is in a rich vein of form and arguably produced one of his best performances yet for the Sharks against the Exiles.
Marrying his trademark aggression and defensive solidity with his power on the front foot and eye for attack, Josh did everything but score with two efforts agonisingly being ruled out by the TMO.
Josh's all-round display was further demonstration of just why he was regarded as one of the finest talents in Rugby League before making his cross-code switch at the end of 2016 - and how he could prove to be a key figure for the Sharks as they press for a potential top-four finish over the final eight games of the season.Will power

He may have only seen some brief action near the end of the match, but Saturday's match at the Mad Stad was a real red-letter occasion for scrum-half Will Cliff.
For Will's late cameo against the Exiles marked his 100th Premiership appearance - further confirmation of his contribution to the cause over the past decade.
Cliffy is one of those players who never lets you down and his value is hugely appreciated by Dimes and all of his Sharks colleagues.
Here's to the next century Will!Nerve-shredder

What is it about Sale and agonising finishes?
In truth, the Sharks should have been out of sight long before those nervy final five minutes at the Mad Stad such was their dominance in terms of both territory and possession.
But the Sale fans - not to mention coaching staff too! - were put through the emotional mincer as the clock wound down on Saturday as Irish sought to snatch what would have been a travesty of a win.
Fortunately, the Sharks summoned up the will and composure to wind down the clock and secure victory.
Now, let's hope we can put those knife-edge finishes to bed for the rest of the season!